Thompson was slated to fly from Washington to California on Sept. 11, 2001, for a taping of the show. Because of a schedule change, though, a producer called Thompson a few days earlier and asked him to come out on Sept. 12 instead. Since Thompson was planning on attending a birthday party in Las Vegas on Sept. 13, he initially balked at changing his schedule. The producer talked to Thompson, though, and got him to agree to fly out on Sept. 12.

As Thompson watched the events of Sept. 11 unfold, he didn't make the connection until talking with his assistant, Mary Fenlon, on the phone.

"She said, 'Look at your itinerary,' and I said, 'Yeah, I'm supposed to go on the 12th.' And she said, 'No, John, look at your itinerary. You were supposed to go on that plane. That plane was the plane you were booked on. If that kid hadn't talked you out of it, you would have been on that plane.'

..."It's hard to be elated about all of it because of what happened. I'm appreciative, I went out on my porch and smoked a cigar and said my prayers and thanked God and all that kind of stuff. But in the meantime, you still can't be so jubilant within yourself about it because of what happened to so many other people and their families."

Thompson never even knew the name of the producer -- Danny Swartz -- until he had a chance to speak to him on Rome's show on Monday. Thompson thanked Swartz and told him that Swartz's pleasant and professional manor on the phone ultimately convinced him to change his schedule.

"I commend you on how you did your job, because I could be antagonistic in those days. ... How you handled it saved my life, and I appreciate that."